Author's Notes:
-To Guest; Um, thanks? Political and social issues aside, I'm just trying to create a good story. Would I say that RWBY has gone downhill since volume 4 (or even before the finale of volume 3)? Yeah, I'd say that's true, hence why I'm trying to do the RWBY series justice. Would I argue that Bumblebee is forced as hell and that Sun was a much better option for Blake? Yes (and I will go down with this ship.) Would I say that Roosterteeth is crazy and needs to go down?
…
(Definitely.)
-Also, I'm not sure if it's affecting anyone else on this site, but I seem to be getting no email updates from this site in my inbox despite my best attempts to solve the issue. I was going to wait until this whole thing gets resolved to publish the next chapter, but the show must go on. And must it shall...
(Because You're Not Who I Remember), You're Gone Forever
The next day, Sun Wukong found himself alone. He found himself in the deserts of Vacuo, the sun slowly baking all under its rays. Miles of sand as far as the eye could see. A slight breeze picked up sand particles and scattered them about.
The monkey man blinked his eyes. "What the...? How did I...?"
"Well, long time no see."
He turned around to find Zhu Bajie Huong standing before him.
The pig-tailed faunus appeared as a younger version of himself. Zhu appeared to be sixteen, shortly before his desertion of his tribe. He was wearing a pair of jeans, which were fully intact with no rips or holes. He also wore his red button up shirt with the top few buttons undone and his white tennis shoes from his early adolescent years. His pink-colored eyes were shown to all in his presence.
"Zhu? What are you doing here? Have you come back to us?"
"Oh please. Do you really think that kind of life was for me? Being a huntsman and helping a tribe who doesn't give a damn about me?"
"That's not true! They did care! I care! I was worried sick about you!"
"But you never found me," Zhu told him as he glowed with red aura.
He then morphed back into his current self, dressed like the White Fang alias he had created. "Not until all those years had passed." Wungeng spoke. "You weren't even trying to find me, and yet you did! It's almost funny."
"Then why are you here? Why are we here?"
The Vacuan White Fang leader laughed at him. "You silly monkey boy, isn't it obvious? You're just being used! By your family, by your team, and by your so-called girlfriend!"
"No, that's not true!" Sun proclaimed.
"Oh really? When have you ever acted on your own desires instead of doing what others tell you to do?"
A thought bubble appeared, showing when he left Beacon and aiding Blake in fighting off Noire Armada pirates and White Fang soldiers. "Several months ago, when I left to find Blake. I wanted to find her, and aid her in defeating the White Fang! I love her!"
"Do you? Or is it really the cardinal sin of...?"
The bubble popped. "Shut up! You're nothing but a traitor!"
He looked at his brother. "Do you really think you're any better? You're a liar, a deceiver. You didn't trust Blake, or your friends or anyone really with the truth. You kept it hidden for years."
Sun tried to hold back his tears. "How can you even say such things? You left your tribe, your family, behind!"
Wungeng folded his arms. "Let me ask you this; what's worse, wanting something better for myself, or blatant dishonesty?"
Sun faltered, not saying anything.
Just like that, Zhu disappeared into the stormy desert winds.
"Zhu! Zhu!"
The sand and wind blew him away and he woke up with a start.
In the darkness, Sun looked around.
He was still in Mistral, in Wind Path, safe within the Lower Highlands. The sky was still dark, its stars twinkling like distant lanterns. Internally sighing, he got up from the air mattress he was given weeks ago and looked at his allies; Blake, as well as Kali and Ghira were all sound asleep. The former twitched her face in agony as she turned about. Nearby her bed was a small nightstand with her Scroll, wallet, a few pieces of paper and the purple ribbon she wore during the day.
He tried to imagine what Blake had been through; her torture and suffering at Adam's hands, and how her white ribbon had been yanked off her head and destroyed right in front of her.
Blake's been through so much, and she still has to face him to save Haven. I know she has it a lot worse than me, but I wish I could confess my own fears.
The monkey-tailed faunus had his thoughts turn to his brother.
He wanted someone to talk to, but how could he burden them when they had much bigger problems?
Just as Blake, and to a lesser extent the rest of us will have to face Adam, I will have to face my half-brother Zhu. But will I be ready when that day comes?
A few hours later, Wungeng was shown sleeping in his room. The sun poured in, but had not hit his eyes, for he was wearing a crimson colored sleep mask over them. The pig faunus smiled as he slept, breathing in and out.
A dream sequence began, showing a circular pavilion in the clouds, a few columns and red banners decorating the area. Wungeng was lying on a large red lounge chair, being fanned with big feather-like fans, colored pink and waved slowly by Athena and Ares. A red cape with gold fasteners tumbled down around him, nearly spilling onto the floor. Near him was a small table with the Badge of Leadership, a golden goblet, a plate with cleanly picked chicken wing bones, and a few other items.
"Ah, this is the life." Wungeng smiled.
Athena sighed loudly. "Why are we doing this?"
"Because I'm the best leader of all time."
Athena silently rolled her eyes.
Soon Adam Taurus, dressed in his previous Vale leader outfit, came up to the lazy pig-tailed faunus, holding a clipboard and some papers in his hands.
"I've finished drafting battle plans, Emperor and High Leader Wungeng."
"Excellent work, Brother Taurus."
Not long thereafter, Ilia entered the room. "High Leader Wungeng, your concubines are ready and waiting."
"Send them in. Servants, you are dismissed."
Ares, Adam and Athena put down the items they held and left the room. Ilia left the room as well as Aoi and a few other ladies waltzed in. Two of them were human, while one was an undetermined faunus. Aoi was wearing a long blue mermaid-like dress, while the others wore lime green, red and pink respectively.
Wungeng smirked as he saw Aoi, "Hello there, my sweet siren."
She smiled with a mischievous grin, beckoned forward to her Emperor.
A few moments later, his Scroll rang, ending the dream. He groaned, turning over to see Coriander calling him. With his bleary eyes, he picked up the phone and dozed off again.
"Hello?" he yawned.
"Hello, this is Coriander speaking. I didn't wake you, did I, Sir?"
"You did." He yawned again in a sluggish response. "This better be good."
"Your breakfast is ready, Sir."
At this, he livened up a little. "Already?"
"It's almost ten in the morning, Sir." Coriander informed him.
"That late already? Well, I'll never say no to food. I'll be right there."
He was shown wearing a pair of red boxers as he got on his clothes. After putting on his shirt, he let it hang loose as he gathered the rest of his accessories and belongings. He went over to his desk, grabbing his collapsed weapon form and his White Fang mask. Facing the mirror, he slid it onto his face with a devious smirk.
The scene cut away to Wungeng standing in the hallway at a door, knocking and tapping in a 3-2 pattern.
"Enter." a familiar voice beckoned.
The pig entered his 'private dining room' as he referred to it; Coriander smiled upon seeing his employer.
"Greetings Master Wungeng. Your breakfast is already at the table, along with a glass of water. Today's special is huevos rancheros topped with fresh avocado, black beans, cotija cheese and chorizo." Coriander described.
Wungeng lifted the cloche, seeing the dish as wisps of steam floated to his nose.
"Mhm… Smells and looks divine."
Cutting off a big morsel, he shoved it into his mouth and started chewing.
"And the verdict is?"
Wungeng smiled as he swallowed the first bite. "Mhm! It's scrumptious. Thank you for preparing it. It's a wonderful surprise to wake up to."
Coriander smiled even brighter. "Glad you enjoy it sir."
The Vacuan leader took a few more bites and a sip of water before turning back to his chef. "I will admit, I was a little worried that you were exaggerating your skills, but your reputation precedes you. You are an excellent chef, and humanity's loss is my gain."
"Thank you sir."
Over the next thirty minutes, Wungeng continued to enjoy his breakfast. He soon made his way down to the training hall, taking his place upon a lounge chair.
A few minutes later, a training duel was well underway. Daphne, her claws bared and ready to fight, lurched forward towards her opponent; Mata. The claws barely missed the skin of his upper arm, the sheep-horned faunus barely being able to catch his breath as she swiped at him again, this time with her right hand. Cat-nails scraped against Mata's skin, leaving small scratch marks against his skin.
"Crud, forgot to…"
He never got the chance to finish his sentence, as he was soon punched in the face. He held his chin as he stumbled backward, thankfully uninjured as he corrected his mistake of not using his aura earlier. Daphne leapt in, attempting to claw his face with both hands, only for him to jump back into a wall. The specialist-in-training quickly followed by grabbing her gun and firing at him, forcing him to duck down, tumbling to the ground as he dodged. He formed an aura shield but it soon broke from repeated gunfire, shattering with his aura. He groaned, barely able to remain conscious.
Looks like the duel is over. Wungeng thought as he finished his late morning snack.
Daphne frowned. "I hate to say this, but you're severely lacking in your training. Do you want to be a specialist or not?"
He groaned, but found enough strength to sit up and looked at his victorious opponent.
"I'm not…" he hesitated. "trying to be a specialist." He coughed. "I'm just trying… to be a fighter."
"You have your aura unlocked, but you're holding back. You're using it incorrectly, either too much or not at all. We've only dueled each other three times, and you haven't won a single match." The cat clawed girl gave an exasperated sigh. "I thought Vacuan Leader Wungeng was supposed to be training you. Either he's not a very good teacher or you're a pretty bad student. Or somehow both. Even Ilia, who's supposedly been slacking off, could give me a better fight than this. If that's all I'm going to be sharpening my claws."
Daphne put her gun back onto her belt and began to leave the room. As she exited the dojo, Mata faintly heard another specialist who had been waiting for her.
"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh on him?" Marrok asked.
Her response was muddled to him and Wungeng as the two other faunus walked further away from the dojo.
Mata sighed, but Wungeng didn't even seem to care.
Elsewhere, Blake and Sun were within their hotel room. The former sat upon the bed, her purple ribbon in her hand. Sun sat across the way, unsure what to do or say.
Mr. and Mrs. B are busy training the new recruits and planning the next book recruit session. For better or worse, they went with the obscure book Coco showed us… Is it a coincidence? Or could I be overthinking?
He sighed. I should be doing something to help the cause. Sun thought to himself. But Blake's having a bad day… How can I leave her in her sorrows?
He saw her cat ears flopping down.
She's hardly said a word.
Inhaling nasally, he calmed himself and called out. "Blake?"
At this she looked up with a slight, "Hmm?"
"What's wrong?" She didn't answer. "Is it Adam?"
She nodded. "I had a nightmare about him. I woke up feeling horrible. Not to mention I fear I've gotten a slight head cold…" She sighed. "I shouldn't be losing sleep over this. I hate him. I don't even think I can say I miss him. I miss… who he used to be." She threw a sheet over herself as she sat upon her bed. "Somewhere along the line… he became the monster everyone fears."
With me fearing him most of all…
[Five and half years ago, in a White Fang fortress in Menagerie, outskirts of Kuo Kauna]
It had been several months since Blake had fully joined the White Fang. She was shown in an outdoor arena with Adam, a montage beginning, taking place over numerous months.
A still shot of sandy white beaches and clear blue waters was shown before the scene turned to a coastline.
Near the beach, a younger Blake held Gambol Shroud, the weapon she had recently created. Across the way was Adam, holding Wilt and Blush. The two were interlocked in a sword duel, their respective weapons clashing and grinding, each trying to push forward and gain the advantage.
Adam pushed Blake back a few feet, her sword hanging down before she successfully parried his incoming attack.
"You have buried your emotions for years." he told her. "Now, you will let them come forth in righteous fury."
A new scene was shown of a masked Blake punching down a police officer in a downtown city area trying to arrest a faunus civilian. The corrupt officer attempted to reach for a taser, but Blake backflipped and dodged his advances.
The civilian ran away as the fight continued. The officer charged towards her as an unnamed clawed faunus struck him in the back, taking him out cold.
"Thanks Bree." Blake stated.
Bree nodded in acknowledgement.
The scene turned back to the beachside duel as Adam blocked Blake's move. "You can blend into the shadows, but you can truly disappear."
A different scene was shown; Adam and Yayauhai (covered in a blue cloak and blue plastic gloves), disabling security systems inside a dust storage compound. All the while, Blake created shadow clones to confound a security guard outside. Soon Ilia electrocuted the guard, rendering him unconscious as Blake slipped into the darkness of the storage unit.
Back at the beach, Adam came towards her with a slash that she barely avoided. "You are the fierce ninja of the night. Be aware of your surroundings, and never have any distractions in combat."
The scene switched to a warehouse with Adam looking over a list of businesses in Atlas City.
Businesses forbidding faunus from entering
At the top of the list;
Glass Unicorn (Highly secure, will need time to prepare)
Towards the bottom of the list;
BetterCare (Elderly Assisted Living Care)
Eri's Hair
O'Shirley's (nearby Courtyard Apartments)
Top of the Barrel Bar
"Humans thrive on the indulgences of society's understanding." Adam began. "Some of these businesses have too much security and would be impossible to target, but others are prime targets. The bigoted businesses on the southwest side should be easy to take down. Laverna's been investigating some of them undercover and has determined our first four targets."
The Glass Unicorn still stands… Blake thought.
"Let's move!"
The scene switched to where Blake had saved Adam in the weeks leading up to her sixteenth birthday, with the two of them, Tukson, Ilia and others overlooking the ambulance driving away. Her fingertips felt the edge of her White Fang mask.
"Do you think the officers survived?" Ilia asked.
"I don't know…" Blake answered.
"Probably not, and it doesn't matter." Adam dismissed. "We're all alive. Let us put this incident behind us and move on."
I hope they survived. Otherwise I'm guilty of murder… she internally sighed. Just forget about it. You didn't kill anyone. And even if you did, they deserved it. Just move on!
All before switching back to the duel once more, with Adam lunging forth. "Anger will not change the state of this wretched world." She deflected his attack. "Training will not be enough. To create change, you must possess the will to act."
Soon thereafter, Blake gave a riposte, knocking Adam down, back-first into the sand.
"Yield." Blake commanded.
Adam refused, remarking to her, "You've left yourself open."
With this, Adam tripped her up, knocking Blake down to size, her sword falling and standing upright as Blake herself tumbled into where the water met the sand.
Sometime thereafter, she was shown by a campfire with a warm towel covering her. She glanced at her weapon, still where it had landed.
"Fold your arms. You'll warm yourself up faster."
Blake followed his instruction, feeling slightly warmer. Adam also retrieved her weapon and laid it at her feet. She faintly smiled.
"Don't worry, Blake. This feeling won't last. Soon enough, humanity will never deny us again."
Blake, still shivering, didn't think much over his words.
Soon the flashback faded back to the present.
"The man I thought I knew and loved... is nothing more than a memory. I hate admitting it, but running after Adam trying to kill him… made me in way over my head." She shook. "How could he have gone from best friend to mentor to boyfriend to my worst enemy?"
It all seemed so perfect… I believed everything was worth it.
I couldn't have been more wrong…
Somewhere along the line, he slowly became a monster. A completely different person…
He's gone... forever.
She breathed in, not trying to give into sorrow or hatred.
"We'll stop him." Sun told her, taking her into his arms, whispering, "I promise."
Somewhere far beyond, in a mostly white area, a specter was shown from afar. A closer look revealed a green specter with wild, unkempt hair and formal attire.
"Oliver?" another voice spoke.
Oliver Oobleck turned to find the voice. It was one of his predecessors, best known as 'The Inquisitor'. The Inquisitor also appeared in the form of a green specter.
"What are you doing here?"
"Trying to see how the future Wizard of Remnant is faring." Oliver answered. "I was able to see a little bit, but it wasn't long before I could no longer see into the realm of the living."
"We are merely remnants of what once was. Rather fitting and yet that we share the same fate that Remnant has…"
Oliver tried not to think too much on his friend's words.
"His past is rough, but I believe he can pull through." Oliver told his friend.
"Should we reveal ourselves to him?"
"Not yet. His mind is still adjusting to his new spiritual state and his combat training. In time, we'll reveal ourselves. Right now, Oscar has a long path ahead of him."